This invention relates to an electrophotographic copying machine adapted to copy both sides of a document and more particularly a device for turning over and transporting a document in an electrophotographic copying machine of such a type.
Most document feeders in an electrophotographic copying machine are designed on the assumption that a copy or copies are made only of one side of a document. For this reason, they transport a document to a scanning position and discharge it after its printed has been scanned. Such an automatic document feeder, however, cannot be used efficiently when it is desired to copy both sides of a document. If it is desired to copy both sides of a document, therefore, the feeder must be provided with means for turning over a document after one side thereof has been scanned and transporting it again to the scanning position for the second scanning. For this reason, prior art document feeders for a copying machine adapted to copy two sides of a document are provided with a turning device for turning over a document, a passageway for transporting a turned document to the scanning position once again and a device for transferring the document through this passageway. This makes prior art document feeders of this type inconveniently large and structurally complicated.